


We're Not Friends

by Trammel



Series: Trust is a Verb [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-03-13 06:38:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3371522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trammel/pseuds/Trammel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The team takes a trip to the beach, and Steve and Tony find they have something in common.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We're Not Friends

**Author's Note:**

> timeline - after Avengers and before IM3/CAWS

Steve was kind of surprised when Tony invited the entire team to his Malibu house, after a mission in California brought them near it. But he had repeatedly heard Fury lecturing Tony about "learning to play well with others." So he figured this was Tony trying. Trying to be a team player.

The Malibu house was very Tony. And very not Steve's style. But today they had all gone to Tony's private beach - of course he had his own beach. It was quiet and clean and the sound of the waves was relaxing.

The others all went directly to the water, while Steve noticed Tony stayed far back from it. He had his own lounge chair and a cooler of beer that he started in on. He was wearing bathing trunks, but kept his t-shirt on. Steve noticed that Tony always kept his t-shirt on. Didn't let anybody see the reactor if he could help it.

Steve spread out his towel and sat next to Tony. "This is a nice place." He said, just to be saying something. He and Tony worked well together, but you couldn't exactly say they were friends.

"Thanks. You want one of these?" Tony held out an opened bottle, dripping with condensation.

"They don't do anything for me, but sure." Steve shrugged. He took the bottle from Tony's hand and took a gulp.

"Right. You can't get drunk. Wow, that's gotta suck."

Steve let out a sound that was not quite laughter, and turned his eyes to the water. Clint and Natasha were attempting the impossible task of teaching Bruce to surf. Steve lost count of the number of times Bruce fell off the surfboard. But every time he just got up, laughing and choking on the water. They were all having fun.

Steve turned to Tony. "You don't surf?"

Tony's eyes darted to the water. "I-I used to." He took another gulp of beer. His eyes stayed on the horizon. "Um, you could say that water and I aren't exactly friends anymore."

Shit. Really stupid Steve! Steve had read Tony's files. He'd felt like he was kind of invading the man's privacy, but he wanted to know about Howard's son, about his life. He knew about what had happened in Afghanistan. The part that Tony had talked about. He knew that there was probably much more that Tony hadn't revealed.

Tony cleared his throat and spoke again. "What about you? You don't want to surf? I thought you could do everything."

Now it was Steve's turn to look at the water. "I like swimming. Pools and stuff. But I think I've had enough salt water for a couple of lifetimes. I can do without it."

"Right. Yeah. I get that." Tony nodded.

For a while they silently watched the others. Then Steve lay down and closed his eyes, just listening to the sounds of the ocean - and Tony occasionally popping open another beer. After a while Tony spoke again.

"Do you remember anything? From when you were - there?"

Steve knew what he was getting at. He opened his eyes and looked at Tony, who looked curious and a little drunk. His face was lacking that condescending sneer he got with Steve a lot of the time. So Steve tried to answer honestly.

"Um, not really. Sometimes I have dreams. It's all real fuzzy."

Tony looked down at the beer bottle in his hands. "Hm. You're lucky. I remember too much. I wish it was fuzzy." Tony stuck the half-empty bottle down into the sand, laid back on the lounge chair and closed his eyes. Steve figured he was done making confessions, but then, after a moment, heard his voice, almost whispering. "Sometimes I have to force myself just to take a fucking shower."

"Yeah," Steve said, not knowing what else to say. There wasn't really anything he could say.

He looked out at the water again, and looked back at Tony when he heard him snoring. Too much beer. The man was asleep. Steve reached over and closed the cooler so the ice wouldn't melt.

It was nearing midday and the sun was getting strong. Steve had been reading how nowadays there was a lot of concern about skin cancer and sun block and stuff. He figured he shouldn't leave Tony like that. He got up and picked up one of the beach umbrellas folded at the side of the cabana that held dressing rooms and showers and, knowing Tony, probably a full bar.

Steve opened the umbrella and sank it into the sand, tilting it so the shade covered Tony completely. Then he sat back down. He'd stay here, keep Tony company. Keep an eye on him.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This just came to me and I had to write it. I don't intend it as pre-slash because I don't do Stony, but feel free to interpret it any way you like. I don't want to take away from anyone's enjoyment!


End file.
